Military veteran, Harold Griffith finds his training of value in the trucking industry

Harold Griffith, former 88 Mike, is into the details

Harold (Griff) Griffith served in the U.S. Army for nine years, from 1980 to 1989. Stationed in Germany. A portion of his time was spent serving as a combat engineer building bridges and using explosives to tear them down, and his secondary job was in transportation where he spent time as a 64Charlie, now called an 88M (88Mike).

“Part of my (transportation) duties when I was stationed over in Germany was to pick up mail in Frankfurt at Rhein-Main Air Base and deliver it to most of the different sub-bases around Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark,” Griffith said, adding that he also went to Berlin twice a year for embassy supply replenishment. He even got the opportunity to do a bit of traveling when he had time off, visiting Spain, Italy, and North Africa.

But in 1989, family circumstances brought Griffith back home to the states and it was time for him to find a civilian job. For Griffith, it was a seamless transition. He said two weeks before his discharge was finalized, he had already landed a job as a truck driver in his hometown in Pennsylvania. Several years later and after several jobs in the transportation industry, in January 2007, Griffith came to work for Bennett as a dispatcher.

He said his previous experience as a driver comes in handy in his current positon with Bennett.

“What I like about it, is I’ve got a diverse group of guys I work with,” he said. “With my experience of being on the road, they know when they call me and they can tell me this happened or this happened, I can relate to what they’re going through because I was out there. And we like to have fun. We joke and kid around, but we get the job done.”

Griffith also said his military background has been a valuable asset in his position with Bennett.

“My experience in the military taught me things like responsibility, punctuality, do as you say, keep your word, and pay attention to detail,” he said. “In transportation that’s probably the biggest part of what we do. If we don’t pay attention to detail and that tiniest littlest detail gets missed, you’ve got customers sitting and waiting on a load of freight, and it’s not going to get there because of that detail you missed. Or a driver is waiting on a piece of freight because of a detail you missed; it’s 2 o’clock and it’s loading at 4 o’clock.”

He said one of the things he likes best working at Bennett is the family atmosphere.

“You’ve got the partnership with everyone you come in contact with, whether it’s another driver dispatcher, an agent, and we’re not afraid to cross lines to help each other out,” Griffith said. In addition, he said he likes that fact employees are afforded opportunities to work with other entities in the community. Whether it’s volunteering time at Hands or Hope or other local organizations, Griffith said it’s nice to help in the community.
And while he said Bennett treats all employees the same, he said it’s the only company he has ever worked for that has recognized veterans in a Veteran’s Day Service.

Bennett is proud to hire those who are serving or those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. For more information about Bennett’s veteran hiring initiative, visit the website at https://www.bennett-hires-vets.com.